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Daniel Day Lewis wins Best Actor Oscar

Feb 25, 2013, 5:24 GMT

Daniel Day Lewis with his wife Rebecca Miller at the 2013 Academy Awards

Daniel Day Lewis won Best Actor at the Academy Awards on Sunday (24.02.13).

The 55-year-old actor - who has been nominated five times - took home the third Oscar of his career for his performance as President Abraham Lincoln in the Steven Spielberg directed movie, 'Lincoln'.

The win makes Daniel the first person ever to win the Best Actor award three times in the history of the Academy, having previously triumphed for 1989's 'My Left Foot' and 2007's 'There Will Be Blood'.

His other nominations were for 'Gangs of New York' and 'In the Name of the Father.'

The actor - who was accompanied to the ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles by his wife Rebecca Miller - also picked up a Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild award for the role earlier this year.

He beat Bradley Cooper nominated for his role in 'Silver Linings Playbook', Hugh Jackman in 'Les Miserables', Joaquin Phoenix in 'The Master' and Denzil Washington in 'Flight' to take home the top prize.

While Daniel is known for his extreme mental and physical preparation for each film he stars in , the 'Lincoln' star previously insisted the reason he focuses so much on every role is because he finds embodying a new character a 'huge pleasure of discovery'.

He explained: 'I didn't go looking for that [mystery tag], it was not my intention to create a specious air of mystery about what I do. But what's misrepresented is the fact I take a long time [preparing for each character] because I enjoy the work and it pleases me to take time over it.

'It's pure joy. It's a huge pleasure in discovery. It's a game, and I've never thought to obscure that fact. But that image persists of some sort of lonely, strange figure going about an unholy business.'